Akazukin
by Star-of-Seraph
Summary: The Captain of the Special Division has always faced hardship in the Seiretei. But when a strange Hollow appears in the Human World, and his team was ordered to execute it, can he prove his superiors wrong? Or will it only end in a massacre?


ï»¿"Shitsure shi masu," came a voice at the door, "Sumimasen, is the Captain and Vice Captain present?" There was silence on the other side. "Excuse me, is there anyone in at all?" said the voice again. Stirring of clothing caught her attention as the door slid open, "Yes?" came a reply accompanied by a cold green stare. "I'm so sorry for interrupting, Hitsugaya-taicho, but I have a message for you. Will you accept it?" she bent her head in a bow, avoiding his eyes at all costs. He remained silent, giving no answer whatsoever. She kept her eyes on the floor as she handed him a scroll, "I'm just the messenger, sir." With that she left. "Hmm, not very welcoming are you, taicho-sama?" said a teasing voice from within. "Be quiet, Aki. I have no need for your sarcasm," replied Hitsugaya, picking up the scroll and sliding the door closed. "Is that a love letter? Ohh, you must have admirers clawing at your Division Building door every day, eh?" Aki teased him again. The mysterious guest only received a cold glare from his host. "Alright, alright, I'll stop," said Aki again, turning serious, "So, is it important?" Hitsugaya continued to read, leaving Aki's question unanswered. With a sigh, he finally put down the scroll. "Just information. None of your concern," he replied. Aki scrunched his nose, "How cold. You're not going to even share with me your secrets? Fine, Hitsu-kun, I'm not going to argue." Aki picked up his zanpakuto and placed it onto his shoulder. "Ne," he said, with another teasing grin. Hitsugaya just gave him a dry look, expecting some strange or useless comment from the red haired person standing in front of his desk. "You promised we'd go sparring again. How about it? That is, if Taicho-sama isn't busy..." Aki teased. Hitsugaya merely gave him a long unwavering stare before he crossed his arms across his chest and leaned back in his chair. "You still won't beat me, you know. Give it up," he said, finally smiling. "Oh, confident, aren't we? Prove it: your Hyorinmaru against my Akazukin," Aki gestured with his zanpakuto's red sheath in the form of a challenge. Hitsugaya was tempted but knew that to release their zanpakuto, even for training purposes wasn't allowed unless ordered. "Oh, having second thoughts? You see, you're scared to think that I might beat you this time. Unlike you, taicho-sama, I haven't been sitting behind a desk doing paperwork all day," taunted Aki, trying to get a reaction. Hitsugaya shrugged, "It just goes to show I have better things to do, that's all. Speaking of which, why are you here? You usually don't just drop in without a reason, even if it is to challenge me to yet another one of those stupid sparring matches." Aki pretended to be taken aback by the white-haired boy's harsh words, "Hidoii desu-yo, Hitsu-kun, my challenges are not stupid in the least. And you're right, I did come here for a reason. But knowing you, you'll probably just ignore what I have to say and go about your business...I know how it is, I'm not good enough for the Division Captains' precious attention..." Hitsugaya didn't flinch, "First of all, stop calling me 'Hitsu-kun', we're not that close. Secondly, you're in my office, and if I don't listen to you, I'll never get rid of you, so tell me what it is that you want already." A silence fell between them before Aki spoke, "The truth is quite serious...I'm not sure whether you're prepared to hear this. After all...it's information that no one in the Soul Society knows." Hitsugaya appeared interested slightly, although trying hard not to show it. Aki took a step closer, his eyes never leaving his host's face. "I don't think this is something you'd want to hear...I didn't want to share this with anyone, mostly you. I wish I haven't discovered this and now I'm barely avoiding danger just keeping it to myself..." he continued, until he was only a few inches away from Hitsugaya's face. "Just tell me already!" the captain yelled, hardly able to contain the pressure of the suspense. "The truth is..." Aki paused, his stare unwavering, "is that I think...Hinamori-kun has a crush on you." A cold silence fell between them before Hitsugaya grabbed a nearby book and threw it toward Aki, missing his red hair by only a fraction. "GET OUT!" yelled Hitsugaya in frustration and anger for having been led on by Aki's mischief. Aki merely laughed and laughed as he avoided more flying objects as they whizzed past him. "I'll see you later, Hitsu-kun!" he called out before he headed off down the hallway. Hitsugaya settled back onto his seat with a frustrated sigh. "Just when I thought he had real information too..." but he couldn't help ending his sentence with a smile. He had known Aki for years, and the red-haired man had never been serious. No matter how angry Hitsugaya got with Aki, he seemed to find himself laughing in the end... "Thank you, Aki...if it weren't for you, I'd still be in a slump. You crazy idiot..." whispered Hitsugaya to himself as he chuckled once again. 

"Oh, Takehito-taicho, when did you get back to Seiretei?" asked a passing officer. Aki merely smiled as he strolled past, "Oh, a few moments ago. And I'm not a captain anymore, I gave that boring job to someone else." The passing officer merely laughed nervously, "Oh, right. Well, we always enjoy your visits, sir. Please stay a little longer this time, won't you?" Aki merely waved as he continued to walk down the hall, without giving a proper answer. "Well now, it's time to visit the other one..." said Aki to himself gleefully. A few minutes later, he burst through the door without knocking. "Stop whatever you are doing right this minute!" he said with a commanding voice. Every member of the division stopped in his or her tracks, looking scared. "What in the world...? Why are you all frozen like that? Get back to wo--Ah, Takehito-taicho! You're back!" said a voice. A boy about seventeen ran up to Aki then with a joyful look to his face. "What..? Did I leave my Fukutaicho in charge? This can't be right...I left this place to a kid about thirteen..." started Aki, when his Vice Captain interrupted, "That's how long you've been gone, taicho. And I was fourteen when you left. Where have you been? Did you know how tough it was for me to handle this place by myself?" Aki laughed aloud as every member of the Division stopped working to marvel at him. "Well, you certainly did a fine job of the place, Hikaru-kun! I can see this place almost blossoming in your care. Right, yoroshiku ne," said Aki, turning to leave but Hikaru held onto his sleeve with only one hand, stopping him. "Where do you think you're going, taicho...?" asked Hikaru, his face twisted into a dark scowl. "Ah...I just remembered I had something to do..." started Aki, but Hikaru dragged him right into the room. "No fair, Hikaru-kun! I can't win against your superhuman strength..! Nnggghh!!" struggled Aki, trying desperately to free himself from Hikaru's strength without much success. They ended up in the Captain's quarters as Hikaru sits Aki down on the chair behind a mountain of papers. "Ano...Hikaru-kun?" asked Aki, trying to peer over the paper to where his Vice Captain was standing. "You're not leaving until you've signed all those papers. It's your own fault for leaving this place when we needed you," said Hikaru, being adamant. Aki tried everything he could to find a way out of it, but knew better than to try against his Vice Captain. The brown-haired boy merely crossed his arms and stared at his superior without flinching. With a sigh, Aki knew he was beaten and started getting to work on the papers.

"How's it going, taicho?" Hikaru popped his head around the door of the office. He had been sure that Aki wouldn't escape from the building and had made sure of it by keeping an eye on the door. Looking around, he realized that his captain was missing. "Taicho? Takehito-taicho?! Shimata, did he escape?" said Hikaru, looking around frantically. "Mmm, you're so noisy. Keep it down..." said a voice. Looking around, Hikaru didn't see anyone until he brought his eyes to the ceiling and was surprised to see Aki sitting cross-legged upside down on the ceiling. "T-taicho! You're going to hurt yourself doing that! Get down this instant!" yelled Hikaru, backing away slightly in fear that his Captain will fall on him. Aki opened one eye slightly and breathed a frustrated sigh, "You worry too much, Hikaru. Pull yourself together." With ease, Aki released himself from the ceiling and landed softly onto the floor. "And? Did you get any work done at all?" asked Hikaru, giving his Captain a wary look. Aki was stretching his neck and peered at Hikaru with half an eyelid open, "Do you see any paper on that table?" Hikaru was surprised; turning around, he realized that the desk was empty. "T-Taicho..!" said Hikaru, a grateful expression on his face as he reached out to hug Aki. Moving a hair's breadth to the left, Aki avoided Hikaru with ease. "Idiot, I did it because you asked me to, not because I wanted to do it. Besides, I know if I didn't do it, you'll kill me by flicking my forehead," he said, stretching his arms, "Well, guess I'll take a look around the place. It's been a while since I've been here." Without another word, Aki left the office. Hikaru smiled as he watched his superior heading out the door. "Welcome back, taicho. I'm so glad you didn't get killed out there," he said to himself as he got off the floor. As glad as he was to have the Captain back, Hikaru was even more worried of the red-haired man's intentions of being here. After purposely dissappearing for more than three years, there had been no news of his whereabouts. At first, a team was sent out to look for him, but the Superior General soon called off the search, with the excuse that Captain Takehito Aki of the Special Ops Forces Division (特殊作戦部隊, the Tokushu Sakusen Butai) would return on his own. The truth was simple: they didn't feel he was important enough to be searched for. 'If I didn't know any better, I'd think the Captain just left not because he was looking for something, but because he didn't want to do any work for this place,' thought Hikaru with a sigh. The 'Special Ops Forces Division' was just a fancy name for a miscellaneous work team and isn't exactly an official part of the Gotei 13. Within this rundown building were misfits and miscreants: those who have the ability but lack the discipline, or have the discipline but lack any amount of abilities. Aki was the one who had helped establish this Division after going through a lot of criticism and animosity for the absurdity of the idea. No one had supported him in helping out those who wanted to be shinigami but couldn't. "Fukutaicho, are you in here?" said a meek voice at the doorway. A girl with glasses appeared at the door, a timid expression on her face. "Ah, I'm right here," said Hikaru, resuming his duties.

Aki stretched out his arms again, feeling somewhat glad to be back. Looking around the building with his division's team members running past him busily, he felt proud to be standing here again. "Just do whatever you like," the Superior General had told him when he had gone to see the old man about setting up a team of shinigami who aren't accepted elsewhere. He had created this Division from scratch, finding more than one ways to convince the others that the people in here weren't useless as society has seen them. His Vice-Captain, Kairiki Hikaru, was one of those who no one else had accepted. Being an orphan, Hikaru had gotten into the Shinigami Academy on his own hard work, going against everyone who had ever bullied him. But, despite being the top of his class, he was looked down upon due to his superhuman strength that he can't control. Hikaru was always breaking things, from his desk to his classmate's hand from just a simple handshake. But due to his almost genius-like level with his zanpakuto, Hikaru was able to be Aki's fukutaicho. Looking around, he smiled as he saw that each one of the Special Division members wears a red uniform instead of the usual shinigami black to signify their association with Aki's team. He had trouble with the uniforms too, receiving criticism and sneers from the other officials. As the captain, he wears the captain's overcoat, with a hood and no sleeves, but in red instead of the usual white, with the division label, 特殊, Tokushu, on his back in white instead of the usual black. Unlike his juniors, as he calls them, he wears the normal shinigami black underneath the captain's coat. Another of his division's members ran past him now, carrying a tall stack of paper. "You...are you okay?" he asked, gaining the girl's attention. "Ah..I-I'm fine...Takehito-taicho," replied the girl, bowing her head. He merely smiled as he took up the stack from the girl's hands. "We won't want those hands to have paper cuts, do we? Where do these go?" he asked. The girl willingly directed him through the corridor to the archives.

"Group assembly!" called Hikaru from the main hall of the building. Members began to file in, forming ranks as Aki quietly sat and watched. When they have settled down, Hikaru spoke up, "On behalf of our Captain who has been missing for three years and have now return, in hopes for good, I call this assembly." Aki glared at Hikaru, thinking, 'You don't need to add the 'in hopes for good' part, you know, Hikaru-kun...' His vice-captain took charge smoothly, as he made his announcements. Aki merely watched with a smile, thinking of how his team greatly admires their Fukutaicho. "I'd like to ask Takehito-taicho to say a few words," said Hikaru now, passing the assembly over to him. Aki stood and smiled, hands on his hips as he began. "Right, minna-san, I know things have been tough without me around, but needless to say, you've grown well. I chose each and every one of you personally, and I can see that I've made no mistake," started Aki. He could see the faces of each of the ones staring at him shift slightly and most of them who were on edge were smiling. "I hope you haven't been giving Kairiki-fukutaicho any trouble while I was gone, but from now on, I'll be taking full responsibility. Because, after all, you're my team. It doesn't matter if we're not part of the Gotei 13, in my opinion, you're still the best in the Seiretei," continued Aki, receiving grins from his listeners, "Alright, I'll be posting a schedule on the boards for the Special Division members on various training exercises. I hope you haven't been neglecting your training, minna-san...because I'm not going to easy on any of you. I call this assembly over, you may all resume your duties." In a collective breath, the members dissipated out of the hall, chattering excitedly. "You haven't changed a bit, Taicho," said Hikaru from behind him, "You still have a way with words." Aki smiled without looking over to his vice-captain. "Ah, but I didn't lie. Everything I said was the truth. Hikaru-kun, get that schedule up. I'm starting training today." Hikaru smiled, knowing it was already coming. "Just promise you'll go easy on them," he said before leaving. Aki stood silent for a moment before he laughed, "I sounded really cool just now, didn't I?!" before he fell silent again. "What are you worried about Hikaru...?" he mumbled, "It's not my job to go easy on them. No one else will, so neither should I..." Taking a deep breath, Aki left the main hall to make preparations for the afternoon.

He let his eyes wander over to the group that had been selected for the exercise and back at Hikaru who stood there with a sheaf of papers. He went over the group again before looking back at his vice-captain. "Is there something wrong, taicho?" asked Hikaru after Aki looked at him for the third time. "Are you sure you read the list right? Or was it me that got it wrong?" he asked with an incredulous look. Hikaru looked down at the list of names he had in his hand. "Yes, I got it right. It's what you've written right here. See?" he pointed to the paper. Aki peered over and saw that it was definitely right. With a shrug, Aki went to confront the group, his zanpakuto casually placed on his shoulder. "So, you guys are here for the sword training, huh? Are you sure about this? Unlike at the Academy, I can't guarantee there won't be any casualties. We're not using wooden training swords here," warned Aki. They each nodded enthusiastically, obviously prepared for what was to come. Aki sighed and nodded, "Alright, just don't say I didn't warn you if you get hurt alright?" Taking a few steps away, he drew out his zanpakuto in its sealed state. "Let's begin. I'll go easy on you, I promise," said Aki with a grin, "You guys can choose to come at me in teams or individually, I leave it up to you. If you can get a hit on me, you pass the sword training exercise, got it?" They nodded with seriousness on their faces, answering him in unison, "Yes sir!" Hikaru hands them a sword each, before Aki yelled, "Begin!" The first rushed forward on his own, sword high in the air. "Ha!" he yelled, swinging it toward Aki in a vertical slash. "Ano...where exactly are you hitting, boy?" asked Aki, yellow eyes shining, "Are you sure you were aiming for me?" The boy had missed Aki by a fraction, his sword had hit only the ground. He appeared flustered but unwilling to give up, he continued to assault his captain, swinging his sword furiously left and right. Aki merely dodged away from the sword's dangerous edge, a smile on his face. Finally, Aki finally stopped the sword with his own, pushing against the boy's weapon in defense. "Good stance and I admire your stamina. You'll need to work on your strength and you'll have to learn not to wave your sword about idiotically. Stay calm and focus on where you want your sword to hit," he advised, pushing the boy away. Taking up his stance, he rushed towards his superior again, this time calmer and more calculating. Pushing his body forward, he managed to graze Aki's shoulder, just barely. Just as the boy lifted his sword to strike again, Aki held up a hand. "Stop, you've done well. Look, a hit," he pointed with a grin, "Work more on the power behind your sword thrusts and you'll do great. This goes for all of you too. Don't just come at me, hoping to land a hit. Your enemies will be much stronger or faster or bigger than I am, so keep that in mind. A Hollow won't stand and wait for you to get in a lucky hit, so calculate where you want your sword to land." Bowing to the boy who was grinning at his victory, Aki readies his stance yet again. "Next!" he called out. They attacked him in fours, two of them pinning each side, one coming from behind and the other coming straight from the front. "Oh, a pinch attack! Wonderful!" said Aki, dodging them by jumping upward instead. They were so busy looking upward at him that they accidentally knocked heads and fell backward. Aki merely landed amongst them with a smile. "You have the right idea: teamwork is important no matter if it's only one enemy. But execution is also important and you have to plan things out first before you actually jump in. Hollows come in all shapes and sizes, so you have to strategize which formation to utilize in order to best defeat your enemy," he said, as the four of them picked themselves off the ground, rubbing their heads. "Try again," Aki called out, one hand holding his sword out, the other behind his back. They decided to come in waves this time, all of them from the front. Aki parried easily as they came one after another, each of them taking a strike and jumping away for the one behind to take his shot. 'Admirable, they're working together and attacking me relentlessly,' thought Aki, pushing their blades away one by one. 'Make your move,' he urged, 'Make your move before I do...take your shot.' Suddenly, Aki noticed that he was in the same position as he had been when they had first attacked him and they had blocked off every hope of escape. At the same time, they strike out at him, purposely missing as they scraped his arms and shoulders. "Yes, that's good! I like that move! Four hits means four passes, great job, all of you," congratulated Aki heartily, "all of you work well together." They bowed toward him with grins as Aki happily continued the training.

"Taicho, are you alright? You're all scratched and bruised," said Hikaru, eyeing Aki's shoulders and cheek. His captain grinned as he laughed it off, "This is nothing! I feel great!" He clapped Hikaru on the back, sending his vice-captain flying. "I'm so proud of my team," he said with a far-off smile, "I didn't expect them to be so calm even when facing me. I felt almost tempted to unseal Akazukin when that boy-girl team attacked me!" Aki laughed again as Hikaru managed to avoid another hearty slap. They fell silent for a moment as they continued down the hall with their juniors passing by every now and again. "Taicho," spoke up Hikaru, "is all this training really necessary? You've proven your point today and morale can't get any higher now that you're back." Aki stared at Hikaru with a solemn look before breaking out into a grin, "What's the matter, fukutaicho-chan? Afraid that I might find out you were slacking off when it comes to their training?" Hikaru started to protest, saying that he has been giving his hundred and ten percent to cover for Aki while he had disappeared, but his captain merely laughed as he ruffled Hikaru's brown hair. "You're so easy," said Aki lightheartedly, "I trust you with them and I have all the proof right here." He pointed to the injuries he had sustained during the sword training, "I just wanted to see how well they were trained, that's all. And I must say I'm not disappointed!" They returned to the captain's quarters before Hikaru excused himself to tend to division matters. Stretching his arms, he breathed a sigh of contentment, 'They're strong,' thought Aki to himself, 'they missed hitting me on purpose.' He felt proud to be their captain, despite his absence. Thinking that they might have been slacking off or giving Hikaru a hard time, he found that he was glad to know his team had been working really hard to uphold the division name. "I guess I'll go take tend to these cuts or something," said Aki to himself, removing the captain's coat...

"Taicho, I have a few things that need your approval...are you in here?" said Hikaru, popping his head around the captain's room door. He froze as Aki's reply came, "Hmm?" The captain stood before him, the upper half of the robes hanging around the waist, exposing muscular arms and a body wrapped in bandages. "What's wrong, Hikaru-kun?" asked Aki as Hikaru clamped his eyes shut with his hand. "I-I'm sorry, taicho! I didn't mean to barge in!" he yelled, immediately running out of the room. "Huh?" wondered Aki, with a frown. Outside, Hikaru was breathing heavily, trying to recover from the shock. It wasn't the fact that he had just walked in while his captain was undressing but...a scream bubbled up his throat and out his mouth, echoing throughout the entire building. The door behind him opened and Aki stood there, hands on hips, "What the hell is wrong with you?" Hikaru didn't want to turn to face his superior behind him; something in him was against him turning around, but mechanically he did. Dressed in a white robe, Aki stared down at him with a frown. "Mind explaining why you look like you've just seen a ghost?" asked the captain. "Y-You're...a..." stuttered Hikaru, pointing a shaky hand upward. With an aggravated sigh, Aki grabbed Hikaru by the collar and dragged him into the room before promptly shutting the door. "T-Taicho, I'm sorry, I should have knocked first! It was an accident, I swear!" said Hikaru, genuinely terrified. He had seen something he shouldn't have and now he's afraid of what the captain might do to him. "Huh?" asked Aki again, obviously not following what his vice-captain was rambling on about. "You're...a **woman!**" yelled Hikaru, shutting his eyes. When there was only silence, Hikaru dared to peek and saw Aki still frowning at him. "And?" said his captain finally, hands spread out as if not understanding what the point of his behaviour was. "I...I've always thought you were a man..." pointed out Hikaru blatantly. At this, Aki burst out laughing. "I never specified I was a man, did I?" asked Aki, between laughter. The vice-captain could only blink from the shock; he had been sure his superior would chase him through the entire building, swinging around the full power of that zanpakuto, threatening to cut his head off for seeing her in a state of undress...even though he didn't actually see anything technically. "You're not angry..?" asked Hikaru now, still a little afraid that this might just be an act to catch him off guard. "Why would I be angry? You didn't see anything..and you thought I was a man!" again, Aki started laughing, clutching her stomach. "Ah...a-ano, taicho...? It's not that funny, everyone thinks you're a man," said Hikaru slowly. She stopped laughing, wiping away the tears, "I know, you're the first to find out I'm not male. Congratulations, Hikaru-kun!" He didn't feel that he deserved a 'congratulations' for this sort of thing and somehow or other, he knew she was being sarcastic in some way. "But why have you been pretending to be a man? You dress and talk and walk like a man, it's no wonder every one thinks you're one," he pointed out. Aki spread herself onto a couch, still smiling. "It's a long story, and one that I'm not inclined to share at the moment. I just want to warn you that I don't want anyone knowing that I'm female. It'll unravel everything that I've...we've worked hard for all this while, is that clear? Captain's orders," she said. Hikaru had no choice but to comply, it wasn't as if he was the type to spread rumours and such anyways. He bowed at the waist, feeling glad that he wasn't about to be killed for finding out the captain's secrets. "Understood, sir," he confirmed. It amazed him how he could just naturally refer to her as a man, without thinking twice. Aki laughed heartily, showing her masculine side once again as if nothing had happened, "Good! Now, what was it you were looking for me for?" Hikaru presented the papers he had been carrying, smiling as he realized that he had grown just a little bit closer to his captain.

"Oh, if it isn't Takehito-taicho of the Special Division? I thought you had disappeared," said a voice behind Aki. Turning around, she saw none other than Abarai Renji standing there with his daredevil grin. "Hisashiburi ne, Renji," she greeted, "Well, I've come back since I knew people were starting to miss me. I could hear them calling, 'Oh Takehito-taicho, please save us from this boredom! We miss your manliness!' It was starting to become a pain..." Renji merely laughed: Aki's sense of humour was famous among the members of the Gotei 13. It seemed no matter how serious the matter, the Special Division captain will always have something sarcastic or funny, or admittedly sometimes stupid, to say. "If you ask me, I'd say we have too much 'manliness' around here," retorted Renji, receiving a grin. "Oh, is that so? Does that mean you're tired of your own masculinity then, Renji? That can be fixed, you know..." teased Aki. Renji laughed again, too used to Aki's quick-witted lines. "And what are you doing staring out here at nothing, taicho? It's not like you at all," said the red-haired vice-captain of the Sixth Division. Aki turned her eyes back to the horizon with a smile, "Just thinking. It's been a while since I've been back here, but nothing has changed." Renji leaned on the banister beside her. "Speaking of which, I had been meaning to ask you, where did you go all this time? It's not like you were anywhere in Soul Society. We're all aware of your reihatsu pattern and would have found you in an instant," he said, not looking at her. Aki chuckled, one hand on the hilt of her sword, "I went hunting, that's all. Just sharpened my skills that were deteriorating while I was sitting around the division building doing paperwork." He smiled at her reply; he had known that he wouldn't get a straight answer. "Well, I'm just glad you didn't get killed. The Seiretei would be dull without you, Taicho-san." She gave a laugh that reflected her disbelief at his words, "Yeah, right, I can hear Yamato-jii just whooping for joy once I'm out of the way. He thinks I'm a nutcase but he doesn't have enough proof to lock me away and claim me insane just yet." Renji just watched as Aki laughed again with a smile: "Well, not everyone here is your enemy, Taicho. You've got allies...even though it doesn't seem like they're doing anything for you. But you know that when you're in trouble..." She smiled as he trailed off, "I know. Thank you, Renji. And quit calling me 'Taicho', I've known you since the Academy days. You're hardly any older than I am." He chuckled softly as he looked at her, "I just do it to annoy you. I know you hate being called 'captain' ever since you got the position. Hey, Aki, you got time? I need a partner." She gave him an incredulous look, "You're barking up the wrong tree, Renji. I don't swing that way..." When Renji was about to protest, she laughed and said quickly, "Oh come on, you know that was coming! Sure, I've got plenty of time since Hikaru's taking care of things for me. Just lead the way. I've been itching to fight someone that I know won't die just because I release the seal of my zanpakuto." He smiled and led the way to the sparring ground with Aki happily following behind him.

"Rules?" she asked, her hands holding her sword casually. "What rules? Just come at me with everything you've got! And no holding back like you always do," said Renji, drawing out his zanpakuto with a grin. "Renji, you know I can't do that. What would Byaku-kun say if I accidentally kill his vice-captain?" Aki teased. She was refering to Kuchiki Byakuya who was the 6th Division's captain and Renji's direct superior. Her sparring opponent let out a snort of disgust, "He couldn't care less what happens to me. You know that as well as I do. Now quit stalling and come at me." She relaxed her sword arm by her side as she gazed at him. "Well, I don't want to kill you, Renji..." she said seriously, surprising him, before she grinned, "I'd just hate to clean up afterwards." Readying themselves with their weapons held out in front of them, Renji was the one who made the first move, lunging toward her directly from the front. She pushed him to the side, before blocking an almost immediate counterattack. "You've grown stronger, Renji! I can see you haven't just been following Byaku-kun's tail all day!" she commented, as their weapons locked. He grinned at the compliment, "So glad you noticed!" Aki swung and missed as Renji jumped back to avoid the tip of her blade. "Come on, when are you going to release your precious weapon? I'm not good enough for you?" challenged Renji. Aki shrugged, blade held out horizontally in front of her, "Alright, since you asked so nicely...but don't blame me if I do kill you." She placed two fingers on the flat of her blade, dragging it from the hilt to the tip, releasing the seal: "Sasayaki...Akazukin!" Her sword glowed and transformed into a double-bladed katana, the metal itself a transparent red. "Ohh, I haven't seen it in a long time," commented Renji, "I've almost forgotten what it looked like." Aki smiled as she held the blades at arm's length, waiting patiently for Renji to release his. He knew what was expected of him, "Hoero, Zabimaru!" His zanpakuto transformed into the unforgettable whip-like weapon with segments along that can separate at will. This wasn't the first time Aki had faced it and she remembers its movements well. "Let's see if you've improved any since the last time we fought, Renji," she said, readying her stance. Considering her opponent's weapon is long-range, she had to be swift on her feet to avoid those deadly segments. Being flexible, one wrong move could mean the weapon wrapping around her body and crushing her. He was grinning now, his Zabimaru held out at his side. "Here I come," he said, pushing forward. She waited for him to swing his weapon around, stretching it to unbelievable lengths just to reach for her. Calculating quickly, she jumped upward, out of the weapon's low sweep. 'It's not over yet,' she thought, quickly making a half-spin to barely miss the dangerous edge once again. Zabimaru was much like a snake, twisting and turning every which way Renji swings it. The only problem would be calculating how far it can reach before it makes a hit. Despite the obvious disadvantage to her, she knew that Renji has one battle disadvantage himself: he had only three consecutive strikes before pulling Zabimaru back to recover. "Chance," she thought, pushing herself slightly to the right to avoid the sword yet again. She had been sure to stay close to Renji during the time she was avoiding, and now he was merely a few inches away from her reach. Using Flash Steps, she swung Akazukin to gain one hit on his shoulder. Her hit wasn't fatal as he managed to react fast enough to stop her weapon from creating a deep wound. "Oh, that was close," commented Renji as she jumped away with a smile. "You've always had great reflexes," she complimented, to which he grinned. Merely brandishing Zabimaru out in front of him without a word, they continued to spar. Despite her zanpakuto remaining silent, only gaining one extra blade, she was calculating when to use its power. She didn't want to kill him, that would be idiotic and even she won't risk it. "It's almost time, Akazukin," she muttered to herself, collecting her spiritual energy. Zabimaru was coming in from her left now, aiming straight for her head. She jumped and landed on a nearby tree. Holding out her left hand, fingers spread out, with her zanpakuto on her right, she smiled causing Renji to cease his attacks. "What the--" he started but he realized too late. "Manjushage," she grinned, naming her weapon's attack. "Red Spider Lily...?!" Renji repeated, looking around him. He had been so careful to avoid her attack, but in the midst of him swinging his weapon around, he had failed to notice her spinning a web around him. She flexed her littlest finger, and the web whipped and latched itself onto his arm. "Ah!" he cried, and she repeated the process with her ring finger, snagging his other arm. "Wh-Wha...?" he started, but she was still smiling. "Akazukin, ningyou wo tsukau," she commanded, using her weapon as a medium for her reihatsu to begin manipulating Renji's body like a puppet. "W-whoa...stop! Stop!" yelled Renji. Aki merely smiled as she walked down the tree, still making Renji dance around. "Give up?" she asked, flexing her fingers. "Yes, yes, you win! I give up!" said Renji. Using her weapon, she cut the lines of reihatsu off her fingers, freeing her sparring partner. "Ugh...I hate that move," complained Renji, taking a seat on the ground, massaging his wrists. "Why is that?" she asked, seating herself in front of him. "Because, once you get caught in that thing, there's no sure way of getting out of it, no matter how skilled you are," he pointed out. She laughed, returning her sealed Akazukin back into its sheath. "Well, I've only used it twice on you now. That really doesn't make you an expert, you know," she shrugged. "Oh, I'm expert enough. If that's only your normal attack, I don't want to know what your Bankai form looks like," he leaned back, looking almost afraid she might use Bankai on him right then, "I guess that's how you made to Captain level right?" She shrugged, knowing full well that her manner of attacks really have nothing to do with her status. "I was so sure I would avoid that Manjushage move of yours too," he said, placing Zabimaru back into its sheath, "It's so sneaky, it's almost cheating." Aki merely smiled, spreading out her left hand's five fingers towards him. "You do realize that even if I cut the string, I can still manipulate you, right? You don't necessarily have to be attached to me. Once you've gotten hit once, my reihatsu forever latches onto yours, so unless I release you, you'll forever be my puppet," she explained with a big grin. "You're lying. There's no way your reihatsu can cling onto me forever," he said, although somehow he was slightly afraid of her actually telling the truth. "You don't believe me, Renji? Fine," she said, flexing her ring finger, making his right arm lift on its own. "No way!" he yelled in disbelief, looking up at his own arm as if it had been possessed. She set his arm down again, proving her point. Renji looked at her with half-frightened eyes, worried of the possibilities of her taking advantage of her control over him. She laughed. "There's no need to look at me like that." A red eyebrow shot up, reflecting her opponent's cynical attitude toward her statement. "Taicho, are you here?" said a voice, breaking their silence. Turning to the newcomer, Aki smiled, "Right here, Hikaru-kun."


End file.
